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Counter-Turning Cylinder Churn: The Ribbed Cylinder Turns One Way While the Dashers Inside Turn the Other
Buttercup

Created by

Buttercup

11. November 2026IE
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Counter-Turning Cylinder Churn: The Ribbed Cylinder Turns One Way While the Dashers Inside Turn the Other

Edwin Ward of New York received US 27,175, dated 14 February 1860, for a churn. A horizontal cylinder with ribs inside turns on bearings while a shaft through it, carrying dashers, turns the other way: one crank drives both, the cylinder through a pair of pinions on a tube round a short fixed shaft and a toothed ring on its head. He reports butter "in from three to five minutes". The patent gives no sizes; every size here is ours.
Advanced
About 3 days, plus printing

Instructions

1

One crank, two directions

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2

Dashers turning inside a still barrel, two months before

Rohrer's barrel stands still round the turning dashers. Ward turns the cylinder too, the other way.
3

Read US 27,175

"Now it will readily be seen that whenever rotation is given to the shaft that it and the dashers will traverse in one direction and that the cylinder and slats will traverse in a contrary direction, and that the velocity of the one in relation to that of the other will depend upon the number of teeth and comparative diameter of the pinions and the toothed surface on the head of the cylinder."
4

Print the crown wheel j

Crown wheel, 60 teeth on its face, module 2, with a hub bored 16.4 mm for the shaft. PETG, 0.2 mm layers, 40 % infill, 4 walls.
Design FileSTLCC0 - Free
5

Print the toothed ring o

Crown ring, 120 teeth on its face, module 2, 258 mm across, to screw to the cylinder's head. PETG, 0.2 mm layers, 40 % infill, 4 walls.
Design FileSTLCC0 - Free
6

Print the pinions k and n

Spur pinion, 12 teeth, module 2, bored 12.6 mm to turn on the fixed shaft l. Print two. PETG, 0.2 mm layers, 40 % infill, 4 walls.
Design FileSTLCC0 - Free
7

Cylinder a with ribs d and door p

Cut two hardwood heads 364 mm across from 25 mm board, each with a hub 50 mm across bored 17 mm on the axis, the geared head's hub 38 mm long. Bend 1.5 mm stainless sheet into a shell 360 mm across inside and 450 long, screw it to the heads with silicone sealant, and screw four hardwood ribs 30 x 30 mm, 450 long, inside it a quarter turn apart. Cut a door 140 x 160 mm in the shell, hung on two small hinges and closed with a hook. Screw the printed toothed ring to the geared head's face.

Materials for this step:

Hardwood BoardHardwood Board2 pieces
Stainless Steel SheetStainless Steel Sheet2 pieces
Silicone SealantSilicone Sealant1 piece
Wood ScrewsWood Screws40 pieces
Machine ScrewsMachine Screws8 pieces
Cabinet Butt HingeCabinet Butt Hinge2 pieces
Hook and EyeHook and Eye1 piece

Tools needed:

CompassCompass
JigsawJigsaw
RouterRouter
Tin SnipsTin Snips
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Spade Bit SetSpade Bit Set
Bar ClampBar Clamp
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
8

Shaft f, dashers g and crank h

Cut a 16 mm stainless shaft 662 mm long. Screw four hardwood dashers 430 x 122 x 16 mm to hardwood blocks pinned on it, a quarter turn apart, reaching 140 mm from the axis, and pass it through the heads' hubs. Fit the crown wheel on the geared end and a crank 160 mm long with a handle beyond it.

Materials for this step:

Stainless Steel RodStainless Steel Rod1 piece
Hardwood BoardHardwood Board1 piece
Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels1 piece
Wood GlueWood Glue1 piece
Shaft CollarShaft Collar2 pieces
PETG FilamentPETG Filament1 piece

Tools needed:

FDM 3D PrinterFDM 3D Printer
Table SawTable Saw
HacksawHacksaw
Files (Hand File)Files (Hand File)
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
SandpaperSandpaper
9

Frame c, bearings b, fixed shaft l and standard m

On a base board stand a post with a hardwood bearing block bored 51 mm for the plain head's hub. At the geared end stand a hardwood standard m, and fix a 12 mm stainless rod l upright in its top, running up into a second bearing block for the geared hub just outside the toothed ring. On l, below the shaft, slide the two pinions joined by a short stainless tube: the upper one meshing the crown wheel j, the lower the toothed ring o. Hold them with collars.

Materials for this step:

Softwood Timber 70x70mmSoftwood Timber 70x70mm1 piece
Hardwood BoardHardwood Board2 pieces
Stainless Steel RodStainless Steel Rod1 piece
Stainless Steel TubeStainless Steel Tube1 piece
Shaft CollarShaft Collar2 pieces
Hex Bolt AssortmentHex Bolt Assortment4 pieces
Nylon Insert Lock NutNylon Insert Lock Nut4 pieces

Tools needed:

Table SawTable Saw
Spade Bit SetSpade Bit Set
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
HacksawHacksaw
Adjustable SpannerAdjustable Spanner
Tape MeasureTape Measure
10

The build in 3D

FreeCAD model of this build, the cylinder cut through the middle: the ribs and four dashers, the shaft and crank, the crown wheel and toothed ring facing each other across the upright fixed shaft with its two pinions, the bearings, post and standard on the base.
Design FileBLENDCC0 - Free
11

Churn

Turn the door uppermost, pour in about 12 litres of heavy cream at about 15 °C, checked with the thermometer, and close it. Turn the crank steadily, timing it: the patent says three to five minutes. When the butter comes, turn the door down over a bowl, let the buttermilk run out, take out the butter, wash it in cold water until it runs clear, salt and weigh it.

Materials for this step:

Heavy CreamHeavy Cream12 l
Coarse Sea SaltCoarse Sea Salt1 piece
WaterWater1 piece

Tools needed:

Leave-In Probe ThermometerLeave-In Probe Thermometer
StopwatchStopwatch
Digital Kitchen ScaleDigital Kitchen Scale
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl (Large)Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl (Large)
12

Troubleshooting

Counter-turning churn troubleshooting.

Flow

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13

History and honest limits

**Edwin Ward** of New York, US 27,175, 14 February 1860, "Churn". He claimed the horizontal cylinder with ribs and an interior shaft with dashers, made to turn in opposite directions. His bevel pinions and the toothed surface on the head are here printed crown gears and pinions, and his fixed shaft l is upright, carrying the geared end's bearing. The patent gives no sizes; every size here is ours.

Materials

19

Tools Required

20

Design Files

4

CC0 Public Domain

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